These ideas are intended as quick fire warm ups to fire the brain into a mood for reading, writing and performance. They help to establish a creative atmosphere and prepare the ground for more in-depth and longer periods of work. They can be used as a standalone activity in their own right in the lesson starter or introduction, but the initial ideas generated can also be used as a stimulus for the main teaching activity or may be extended into a whole lesson. The talk or writing generated by the warm ups and games can also be stored away for future use as, whilst they are part of limbering up, they may also produce thoughts and writing which may be useful elsewhere.

Lesson introductions are vital!

[[Image:]]

The space shuttle metaphor is useful here; the shuttle uses 90% of its fuel in the first 30 seconds of launch. Lesson starters are similar; if pupils are engaged at the outset, then the learningis more likely to be successful throughout the lesson.